From Occupation to Extraction: Understanding Ecological Settler Colonialism in the West Bank

This presentation will explore the multifaceted processes of extraction in the West Bank, examining the ways in which both natural resources and human lives are exploited under occupation. Drawing from the works of Shourideh C. Molavi and Manal Shaqair, as well as firsthand testimonies from Palestinian activists, farmers, and scientists, the paper will analyze how Israeli settler-colonialism functions not only through the physical extraction of land and resources, but also through the extraction of Palestinian agency and dignity. Through a combination of critical scholarship and personal narratives, this proposal will highlight the environmental, social, and political dimensions of extraction in the West Bank, and how Palestinian communities resist and challenge these processes.